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News and Events

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News

Title	Date
Access Living applauds Supreme Court decision in support of Affordable Care ActAccess Living of Metropolitan Chicago applauds the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act.	June 28, 2012
Access Living celebrates full closure of Jacksonville Developmental CenterGovernor Quinn of Illinois announces that all residents of the Jacksonville Developmental Center have moved out of the institution and into the community.	November 30, 2012
Access Living Core Issues PlatformFebruary 2011 Chicago Election Leading up to the February 22, 2010 Election in Chicago, Access Living and the disability community will work to ensure that the concerns of people with disabilities are addressed by Mayoral Candidates and other candidates for office, and that voters with disabilities have access to the election process.	December 20, 2010
Access Living Frees Thirty-Six People!On Friday, May 7, 2010, Access Living hosted the Chicago Housing Authority to begin the initial process to provide Housing Choice Vouchers to our People -- and thirty-six of them received their vouchers!	May 10th, 2010
Access Living honors Ambassador Luis Gallegos & Anne RooseveltAccess Living GalaOn June 12, at the Access Living Gala, Access Living presented Ambassador Luis Gallegos of Ecuador and Anne Roosevelt, the granddaughter of Franklin Deleno Roosevelt, with "Lead On" Awards for their leadership within the disability community.	June 12, 2008

Lead On: The Access Living Blog

Disability Rights & Empowerment

Access Living is committed to the advancement and empowerment of people with disabilities in Chicago and nationwide. Our programs and services represent a multifaceted approach in attaining this goal.

Title	Date
Disability Culture: Fe Fes travel to west coast for awareness eventOn April 13, I traveled with the Empowered Fe Fes to the State of Washington to speak at Eastern Washington University for a Disability Awareness Week conference. I am the Women & Girls Organizer for the Empowered Fe Fes, which is a group of young women with various disabilities who have worked for over 15 years together to explore the issues and struggles unique to young women with disabilities while spreading awareness about disability rights.	June 5, 2010
On the 20th Anniversary of ADA: Remarks by Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez at the National Disability Rights Network Annual Conference in Los AngelesMost people in our nation, when they think of “Civil Rights,” they think of Dr. King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, of hundreds of protestors on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, of students at lunch counters and university doors.	June 11, 2010
20th Anniversary ADA Events in Chicagoland and beyondNearly 20 years ago, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, proclaiming, “let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”	June 26, 2010
Illinois budget cuts threaten independence of people with disabilities A few weeks ago, Illinois announced millions of dollars in cuts to programs that support people with disabilities living independently in their own homes and communities. Statewide, the community is organizing to stop the cuts. Community based programs support the independence of people with disabilities and make fiscal sense — community services cost less than institutional services.	July 14, 2010
July 19, 2010 - Illinois Disability Community rallies to protect independenceDisability community rallies to protect independence Calls for state leadership to preserve cost efficient programs and raise revenueFacing budget cuts that could force people into costly institutions, disability advocates and organizations representing thousands of people with developmental, psychiatric and physical disabilities rallied outside the State of Illinois Building today. While Illinois faces a massive financial crisis, more than 20% of the service cuts announced last month impact people with disabilities.	July 20, 2010

Events Calendar

Title	Date
The Access Living “Lead On!” Award Gala Join Access Living as we honor Lifetime Champion for the Civil Rights of People with Disabilities Senator Bob Dole and Disability Activist Susan Nussbaum with the “Lead On!” Award.	June 3, 2013
Creative Movement Workshop A Creative Movement Workshop	May 14, 2013
Good Kings, Bad Kings The Chicago playwright Susan Nussbaum signs and reads from her first novel, Good Kings, Bad Kings,for which she received the 2012 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.	May 18, 2013
2013 Bodies of Work Festival In May of this year, Chicago will host the 11-day Bodies of Work Festival. Featuring visual and performing arts that highlight the work of artists with disabilities, the festival celebrates national and international artists with disabilities who are creating cutting-edge theater, dance, literature, poetry, spoken word, film, and visual/performance art.	May -- 2013
Stepping Stones A peer support group for people with disabilities who have just moved out of institutions and into their own homes through the Access Living Community Reintegration program.	Tuesdays in the Spring 2013

Press Releases

Title	Date
6th Annual Building Bridges to Independence Conference:Press ReleaseChicago, IL - On September 27, 2008, the Committee for the Integration of Latinos with Disabilities (CILD), DePaul University College of Law’s Special Education Advocacy Clinic and Town of Cicero President Larry Dominick will present the 6th Annual Building Bridges to Independence Conference: Empowering Communities, Individuals with Disabilities, and Their Families.	Sep 25th, 2008
A Huge Step Forward for People with Mental IllnessHistoric agreement reached to transition Illinois residents unnecessarily housed in large, impersonal nursing homesLast week was a good week for people with mental illness in Illinois. On Thursday, a federal judge granted preliminary approval for an historic agreement between the State of Illinois and thousands of people with psychiatric disabilities represented by a number of advocacy groups, including Access Living, and a private law firm - led, in this case, by the ACLU of Illinois - that will give thousands of people with mental illness an opportunity, if they choose, to move out of large, private nursing homes and into community-based settings. This agreement marks a sea change in Illinois state policy - which for far too long has relied on troubled, sometimes dangerous nursing homes to serve people with mental illness.	June 14, 2010
Access Living analysis of FY 2013 CPS Budget critical of disability cuts Report calls for restoration of funds and move toward Universal Design Prior to each school year, Access Living publishes a review of CPS funding priorities and initiatives related to special education and students with disabilities. Access Living’s FY 2013 analysis examines the impact of CPS Budget decisions on students with disabilities.	August 15, 2012
Access Living applauds Governor Quinn’s closure announcement Urges shift from institutional to community support for people with disabilitiesAccess Living statement responds to January 19, 2012 announcement from Governor Quinn on closure of Tinley Park Mental Health Center and Jacksonville Developmental Center.	January 20, 2012
Access Living applauds institution closure, commitment to community Urges support for services that promote independence for people with disabilitiesAccess Living responds to Illinois Governor Quinn’s February 22 Budget Address.	February 23, 2012

The Bullhorn - The Newsletter of Access Living

Access Living’s bimonthly newsletter

The Bullhorn, the newsletter of Access Living, is published bimonthly.

Title	Date
The Bullhorn Volume 78Volume 78 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, from October 2012.	January 10, 2013
The Bullhorn Volume 77The Bullhorn Volume 77 August 2012	January 10, 2013
The Bullhorn - Volume 76The Newsletter of Access Living Volume 76 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, published in June of 2012.	January 9, 2013
The Bullhorn Volume 75Volume 75 of the Bullhorn, the Newsletter of Access Living, published in April 2012	April 2012
The Bullhorn Volume 74Volume 74 of The Bullhorn, The Newsletter of Access Living	March 2012